Today Captain (my dog) and I went on a run. Well I was riding my bike, he was running. It was a really hot day out there, I think it got up to about 100 degrees in the afternoon when we went out. Anyways, my dog was completely fine before went out running on our normal trail that we have run on many times. About half way through the run my dog starts acting a little weird, he is not as spunky and excited as he usually is off the leash. Usually he is sprinting around chasing whatever animals/reptiles he sees move along the trails. He starts getting real close to me, and looking at me, and moving real slow. So I got off my bike to get some water out for him, and noticed he was limping. He has never had any leg problems, he is only about 2.5 years old. He is almost in a panic state, I think between the heat and something being wrong with his legs. At first I couldn’t tell which leg he was favoring, or limping on. So I thought the ground may have been too hot for him. But that wasn’t it, we were on a dirt trail, the ground wasn’t hot enough to be burning his paws. So then I checked all his paws to make sure he didn’t get anything stuck in them, and he appeared fine. But he wasn’t, he started laying on the dirt, crawling around like he was badly wounded. That’s when I started to really get worried about him.

So I decided to try to get him home and see what was going on there, out of the heat and off the trail. There was nothing that I could do out there. I had already checked all his paws, and felt his leg muscles and couldn’t feel or see anything wrong. So we headed home real slow. He limped a little the whole way on what appeared to be both back legs. Not a strong limp, but a light swagger, like something just wasn’t right. He would never get into a run speed after this, he would only get up to a fast walking pace.

Finally we get home and he slurps down a ton of water, then I take him into the air conditioned house where he just laid on the floor trying to cool off for about an hour. I Checked his paws and legs out again, thoroughly this time and still couldn’t find anything wrong with him. All I could think that was he tore a muscle or ligament in one or both of his back legs. So at this point I figured that I would just let him rest and hope that is was nothing too serious.

So I go to put my bike away and as I am walking it to the garage I notice something on the front tire. So a grabbed it and pulled it out. It was a nasty thorn that I picked up along the trail somewhere. The air started leaking out of my tire the second I pulled it out because it was pretty good sized. That sucks, now I got a flat tire and a hurt dog. I start to roll my bike forward a little more and see another one. So I pull it out. Then I look at my back tire and find 5 more!

My poor dog… At this point I realize that my dog got his paws pricked to hell today on the trail and he was just in pain. I felt like an asshole for taking him through that trail with all those thorns on the ground. The weird part is that we have run that trail many times before without any problems.

Do those bushes or plants shed these thorns at only certain times of year? Or was it just bad luck picking up so many this time?